Jeffrey “Jel” Logan was a beacon of boom-bap purism in Anticon's fledgling years of vanguard experimentalism and ego tripping. If the half-fast rap aerobics/half poetry readings of Dose One was off-putting, it was still possible to find semblence of hip hop expectations in Jel's work on the SP-1200. Underground hip hop message boards would have a field day of insults for Anticon, but change their tune when discussing the merits of Jel's Greenball beat CD (2001).
The Greenball series recieved two more installments ('04, '07), but went largely unnoticed as Jel's contributions to more Themselves records, 13&God records and the Subtle project overshadowed his solo output, which included two official solo albums with Mush and Anticon. Luckily, the interest in the Greenball series goes beyond loyal fans, as Chicago label Fieldwerk Recordings is revamping the third installment with Greenball 3.5.
Built from Jel's signature live drumming style on the SP-1200, Greenball 3.5 is one of his most intensified offerings in the series. Jel's energy rides out like a DJ set at a b-boy battle, with little downtime offered over the stretch of 13-tracks. The EP is mostly comprised of unheard material, with a few recognizable gems thrown in like a bare version of Themselves' “Ignition Key”. The entire EP is streaming now at Fieldwerk's Soundcloud.
Purchase Jel's Greenball 3.5 12″ EP here.
